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vengefuldime's review
2.0
The Mellification has a nice premise but didn’t feel like it knew what to do with it. I was more intrigued by this story’s description initially, but it wasn’t meant to be. All the individual plotlines are intriguing, and I especially found Holly’s character to be an aspect I liked. However, dialogue and plot are surprisingly over-obvious. Then the pacing is just jagged, and does no justice to anyone. The ending is the most abrupt. Although I almost like the ending from a distance, I am disappointed that it left the other two subplot lines severed, while also not hitting the expected emotional beats of the main.
grindrgrrl's review
3.0
Nat Bunchbinder takes an experience a lot of trans folks have witnessed (the changing of names) and is able to give it new life, albeit undead one as a fresh vampire story about navigating identity, community and traditions. This story is full of promise and thankfully delivers on that. It is charming and lovingly crafted that feels easy to read in the best of ways.
My only concern is this book feels abrupt and unfinished as it ends without real resolution of characters and plotlines. I imagine future books would rectify that feeling, but as a standalone it is an issue.
Still on the whole a fun read with great promise. I look forward to more.
My only concern is this book feels abrupt and unfinished as it ends without real resolution of characters and plotlines. I imagine future books would rectify that feeling, but as a standalone it is an issue.
Still on the whole a fun read with great promise. I look forward to more.
dame_samara's review
4.0
It's Gay and . . . it hits different?
This book consumed so much of my thought space until early this evening when I finished it.
Some parts felt all too relevant to the work of January 6th, 2021. and I can't decide how I feel about this depiction of what boils down to the "radical right because while they are shown to be a danger, in some ways, it felt like we were making light of a severe problem.
The world built by Buchbinder feels so real, and I was left wanting to know more about this society and other colonies that theoretically exist. There is so much happening that it drags you in...
The come-up is startlingly quick and leaves you with more questions than answers about just about everything we are shown. But I suppose not knowing is its own act of patience.."
This book consumed so much of my thought space until early this evening when I finished it.
Some parts felt all too relevant to the work of January 6th, 2021. and I can't decide how I feel about this depiction of what boils down to the "radical right because while they are shown to be a danger, in some ways, it felt like we were making light of a severe problem.
The world built by Buchbinder feels so real, and I was left wanting to know more about this society and other colonies that theoretically exist. There is so much happening that it drags you in...
The come-up is startlingly quick and leaves you with more questions than answers about just about everything we are shown. But I suppose not knowing is its own act of patience.."
jlynnreadsandwrites's review against another edition
3.0
This novella felt like a snapshot of an interesting and creative world. Holly is a trans vampire who wants a new name more than anything else. His vampire community prizes patience above all else and so, Holly is left waiting even as his name reminds him of his painful past. But it isn't all bad. Holly has his lover Cain and a place that, on the surface at least, seems safe.
Intertwined with Holly's story is that of Lila Lynton whose story begins many decades before. Through her we learn about the beginning of the community Holly has joined while also learning about her lifelong feud with Claudia, a girl from her hometown.
I found both of these stories to be interesting. There is much more I want to know about these characters and this world. I love background information and having a deep understanding of the world I'm reading so I do wish there was more. It's also possible I would have a greater understanding of the world if I knew more about vampire lore.
Overall, this was a short fun read. If the author decided to write more in this world I would interested to read it.
Intertwined with Holly's story is that of Lila Lynton whose story begins many decades before. Through her we learn about the beginning of the community Holly has joined while also learning about her lifelong feud with Claudia, a girl from her hometown.
I found both of these stories to be interesting. There is much more I want to know about these characters and this world. I love background information and having a deep understanding of the world I'm reading so I do wish there was more. It's also possible I would have a greater understanding of the world if I knew more about vampire lore.
Overall, this was a short fun read. If the author decided to write more in this world I would interested to read it.
jlynnreadsandwrites's review
3.0
This novella felt like a snapshot of an interesting and creative world. Holly is a trans vampire who wants a new name more than anything else. His vampire community prizes patience above all else and so, Holly is left waiting even as his name reminds him of his painful past. But it isn't all bad. Holly has his lover Cain and a place that, on the surface at least, seems safe.
Intertwined with Holly's story is that of Lila Lynton whose story begins many decades before. Through her we learn about the beginning of the community Holly has joined while also learning about her lifelong feud with Claudia, a girl from her hometown.
I found both of these stories to be interesting. There is much more I want to know about these characters and this world. I love background information and having a deep understanding of the world I'm reading so I do wish there was more. It's also possible I would have a greater understanding of the world if I knew more about vampire lore.
Overall, this was a short fun read. If the author decided to write more in this world I would interested to read it.
Intertwined with Holly's story is that of Lila Lynton whose story begins many decades before. Through her we learn about the beginning of the community Holly has joined while also learning about her lifelong feud with Claudia, a girl from her hometown.
I found both of these stories to be interesting. There is much more I want to know about these characters and this world. I love background information and having a deep understanding of the world I'm reading so I do wish there was more. It's also possible I would have a greater understanding of the world if I knew more about vampire lore.
Overall, this was a short fun read. If the author decided to write more in this world I would interested to read it.
cseanread's review against another edition
3.0
I'm really not sure how I feel about this one. I greatly enjoyed the queer representation throughout, and the characters themselves were decent (if a little flat at times). However, the pacing was a bit rough and I always felt like I was missing just a little bit of information. I expected a bleak ending with the way the book was trending, but I'm not sure I cared much for the way it was implemented. Ultimately this was not a title I'd recommend to others without a fair bit of warning beforehand.
donnieisunclebread's review
4.0
loved the book. It kept me reading until i finished it in one go. I am definitely interested in reading a second part to the story. The characters felt familiar early on, which is a testament to good writing. The novel’s strengths are it’s unique take on vampires and it’s characters/representation.
The only thing I would say is, that at times the pacing felt off. a great deal happened at the end of the novel, which for that reason the ending felt rushed and somewhat unsatisfactory. However, I still loved every bit of the story and want more. ♡
The only thing I would say is, that at times the pacing felt off. a great deal happened at the end of the novel, which for that reason the ending felt rushed and somewhat unsatisfactory. However, I still loved every bit of the story and want more. ♡
punchofwishes's review
4.0
{Copy Provided by NetGalley}
Holly is a transgender vampire living in an underground society meant to protect vampires from those meaning them harm. His greatest wish is to finally receive his new name, a traditional act done by the lead vampire, something he is refused more than once. Strange things start occurring in the colony, and the eerie story unfolds. This is a fast paced book set mostly in a New York Cemetery, with the mysterious rooms hidden underground. I liked the mythology of vampires in this world, the different perspectives (especially Lila’s), as well as the general weirdness of the story. It was really entertaining. My biggest complaints were that some of Cain (Holly’s partner)’s actions weren’t understandable and that the ending was too open und a little rushed. It is certainly a testament to the author that I wanted more of this book than I got. This is the only book I can think of in which a character turns into a swarm of bees, and I love that about it. A pleasure!
Holly is a transgender vampire living in an underground society meant to protect vampires from those meaning them harm. His greatest wish is to finally receive his new name, a traditional act done by the lead vampire, something he is refused more than once. Strange things start occurring in the colony, and the eerie story unfolds. This is a fast paced book set mostly in a New York Cemetery, with the mysterious rooms hidden underground. I liked the mythology of vampires in this world, the different perspectives (especially Lila’s), as well as the general weirdness of the story. It was really entertaining. My biggest complaints were that some of Cain (Holly’s partner)’s actions weren’t understandable and that the ending was too open und a little rushed. It is certainly a testament to the author that I wanted more of this book than I got. This is the only book I can think of in which a character turns into a swarm of bees, and I love that about it. A pleasure!
raychelbennet's review
3.0
I have a few mixed feelings about this. The things I loved, **I loved.** The Mellification follows vampire Holly, a trans vampire being forced to wait for his new masculine name from the pseudo-religious vampire leader of their community--Marlowe. Marlowe is demeaning, judgemental, and transphobic. He is not outwardly saying Holly cannot get a new name because he is trans but the thinly veiled excuses do little to cover what isn't being explicitly said. I also really liked the queer representation! Holly is in a relationship with another male vampire named Cain and there's a female side character coming to terms with her attraction to women.
I also enjoyed quite a bit of the world-building! The honey and bee connection, the honeyman, hexagonal imagery...all of it was really cool. I felt that this was a really refreshing and new (!!) take on vampirism and vampire culture.
What felt short for me unfortunately was the lack of development. When reading, I felt like there was a little bit of information right on the other side of the story that would have opened up the narrative so much for me. The characters (minus Holly) also were a little flat or one-sided, but I think this could have been rectified with some more explanation. Basically, I just wanted it to be longer. I had a lot of fun with what was here..I just wish it was a little bit more.
**I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!
I also enjoyed quite a bit of the world-building! The honey and bee connection, the honeyman, hexagonal imagery...all of it was really cool. I felt that this was a really refreshing and new (!!) take on vampirism and vampire culture.
What felt short for me unfortunately was the lack of development. When reading, I felt like there was a little bit of information right on the other side of the story that would have opened up the narrative so much for me. The characters (minus Holly) also were a little flat or one-sided, but I think this could have been rectified with some more explanation. Basically, I just wanted it to be longer. I had a lot of fun with what was here..I just wish it was a little bit more.
**I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!
hattynguyen's review
3.0
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for this review.
This was a nice, quick and easy read. The set-up was interesting, the idea of combining mellification and vampires was unique, and I liked the LGBT+ representation, which I was pleased to see extended to more than just the main (trans) character! However, this felt a little like a rollercoaster that spends a lot of time setting up a massive scare only to turn out to be a tiny hill at the end. The author spent a lot of time establishing interesting characters, backstories, vampire lore, and even incorporated a fun "jumping between different characters in different time periods" element. But the mystery and suspense of the honey, beehives, referring to the community as a "colony" literally living in hexagons with a "queen bee" in the form of Marlowe, and then eventually the shocker of both Lila in the past and Holly in the present discovering the coffin leaking honey (not to mention Marlowe's weird honey bath) all had me on the edge of my seat, making guesses about what the big conspiracy or reveal would be. But all of this suspense was let down by the ending of the book. It felt really rushed and incomplete, and a lot of seemingly random things happened that felt more like plot devices to quickly end the book than a satisfying conclusion that the rest of the book deserved. All of a sudden, this rebellious and strong willed Holly just meekly accepts this massive betrayal and getting buried? The trial itself lasted all of 2 pages, and we never even saw the resolution of some of the characters and side plots introduced earlier: what happened to Lila after Claudia left? Who was the Lizard King? What happened to Marlowe's wife? ? Was she in the coffin? What did Marlowe mean when he said the honey was how he "maintained his power"? What's the backstory??? The sudden inclusion of the clearly neo-Nazi-esque "vampire hunters" at the end was completely out of left field, not to mention the end raid scene, which felt almost like the author got tired of developing the plot and just wanted a quick and easy way to end the story already—a real shame because there was so much potential in the first half. Intriguing set-up, disappointing execution.
This was a nice, quick and easy read. The set-up was interesting, the idea of combining mellification and vampires was unique, and I liked the LGBT+ representation, which I was pleased to see extended to more than just the main (trans) character! However, this felt a little like a rollercoaster that spends a lot of time setting up a massive scare only to turn out to be a tiny hill at the end. The author spent a lot of time establishing interesting characters, backstories, vampire lore, and even incorporated a fun "jumping between different characters in different time periods" element. But the mystery and suspense of the honey, beehives, referring to the community as a "colony" literally living in hexagons with a "queen bee" in the form of Marlowe, and then eventually the shocker of both Lila in the past and Holly in the present discovering the coffin leaking honey (not to mention Marlowe's weird honey bath) all had me on the edge of my seat, making guesses about what the big conspiracy or reveal would be. But all of this suspense was let down by the ending of the book. It felt really rushed and incomplete, and a lot of seemingly random things happened that felt more like plot devices to quickly end the book than a satisfying conclusion that the rest of the book deserved. All of a sudden, this rebellious and strong willed Holly just meekly accepts this massive betrayal and getting buried? The trial itself lasted all of 2 pages, and we never even saw the resolution of some of the characters and side plots introduced earlier: what happened to Lila after Claudia left? Who was the Lizard King? What happened to Marlowe's wife? ? Was she in the coffin? What did Marlowe mean when he said the honey was how he "maintained his power"? What's the backstory??? The sudden inclusion of the clearly neo-Nazi-esque "vampire hunters" at the end was completely out of left field, not to mention the end raid scene, which felt almost like the author got tired of developing the plot and just wanted a quick and easy way to end the story already—a real shame because there was so much potential in the first half. Intriguing set-up, disappointing execution.